Afraid of letting the Democrats get all the credit with the new voters

Afraid of making business mad by ruining the labor market

Afraid of their new Democratic Overlords

As a result, Republicans find themselves twisted into rhetorical pretzels trying to explain how letting someone off the hook for a crime is not amnesty, as long as they have to pay a penalty.

It's because if it were a penalty, you would make them stop doing the illegal thing they were doing. It's amnesty, with a new user fee -- a tax increase, by any other name. Unfortunately, no one would ever pay this new tax.

There will be no incentive to send $1000 to the government instead of sending it home. They will not pay it, because no one will make them. If anyone had any intention of enforcing this new law, they would already be enforcing the existing laws.
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